20 | Snowmobile VERMONT When Lenny Howe’s father purchased the family farm in the 1940s he did not know that, some seventy years later, the family farm would be the hub that houses the two groomers that maintain the Deerfield Valley Stump Jumpers’ (DVSJ) trails. Over the years, the family land has been used for farming as well as a gravel pit. The Howe property has served the Wilmington community well over the years. The DVSJ have a strong membership base with about 1,500 members and many of those members own a second home in the area or drive from out of town to snowmobile. After driving three to five hours to ride, your members want groomed trails and the club tries to provide that as much as possible. Lenny works a full-time job in the area just a few miles away as a snow maker at Haystack Mountain. Lenny started operating a groomer in 1971. Snow making and grooming is now just second nature to him. Most winter days, he wakes at 5 a.m. to start his day on the mountain. By 7 p.m., he is sitting in the groomer until 2 a.m. He tries to groom four or five nights per week. With 65 miles of hilly terrain, the DSVJ trails wind down from Hogback Mountain on Route 9 and end in the Green Mountain National Forest on the back side of Mount Snow. Sixty percent of their trails are on private property and the other 40 percent is National and State Forest land. The trails also wind through the old Sitzmark Golf Course and into the second home community of Chimney Hill with trail access throughout the community. Chimney Hill is a unique community of private homes nestled on a wooded hillside bordered by the Green Mountain National Forest and surrounded by a four-season recreational area. Over the last seven years, Lenny has only happened upon two moose, but he always keeps his eyes open for what might be around the next corner. He says, “I prefer to groom at night, which gives the trail a chance to set up overnight. It makes for great riding the following morning. I am looking to get in more riding time in the future. My workload just does not allow for it yet. I am working on that,” he says with a smile. The DSVJ have two PistenBully groomers, a 2002 PB 100 and a 2006 PB 100 170 horsepower. Lenny’s dream groomer would be a new PB 100 195 horsepower. Lenny recalls that 45 years ago it snowed every other day and they could only pack the trails because of how much snow they had. Just two seasons ago, he recalls only leaving the barn twice because they had no snow and the season never really got started. Lenny prefers grooming at night. He says, “I enjoy the peace Deerfield Valley Stump Jumpers Lenny Howe By William Thomas Sr. Who’s In The Groomer? Lenny Howe (William Thomas Sr. photo)